What a show! Deion Sanders brings multiplicity, flair for dramatic to Hall

He was a two-sport star with dual personalities. He was Deion Sanders, the
only man to play in the Super Bowl and World Series. And he was Prime Time, a
self promoter dressed in fancy suits, a star of stage and screen.

On one hand, you had Deion, the devoted family man, avid fisherman and
teammate known for his work ethic. On the other hand, you had lots of jewelry —
and limos and bright lights.

On one hand, you had a true shutdown cornerback who revolutionized the game
by forcing opponents to throw away from him. On the other, you had Prime Time
high-stepping to the end zone.

Deion, a mama’s boy, dotes on his children, Deion Jr. and Deiondra, fishing
in the 12-acre pond, or bowling, or watching movies, at their Prosper mansion.
Prime Time was a mover and shaker who traveled with an entourage.

Deion homered and scored a touchdown in the same week, and once suited up for
an NFL game and baseball playoff game on the same day. Prime Time hosted Saturday Night Live and wore boxer shorts picturing $100
bills.

On one hand, Deion declined interviews to avoid being a distraction to
teammates. On the other hand, Prime Time gyrated on stage while singing rap
songs at his welcome-to-Dallas party at Iguana Mirage nightclub in 1995. A crowd
of about 3,000 lined up for blocks.

It would take more than two hands to count Sanders’ achievements. But one
thing is certain: His many skills formed one of the greatest cornerbacks in NFL
history, which is why he made the Pro Football Hall of Fame the first year he
was eligible.

MULTIPLE NAMES

Deion Luwynn Sanders, Prime Time and Neon Deion

MULTIPLE SPORTS

NFL cornerback, receiver, kick returner, punt returner, network analyst:
Played on five teams over 14 seasons; MLB outfielder played 641 games with four
teams.

His $21 million mansion in Prosper, the “ultimate party and family ranch,”
packs lots of toys across 29,122 square feet. The palace has multiple
staircases, fireplaces and pools, 10 bedrooms, a solarium, barber shop, bowling
alley, football field, batting cage, multi-level movie theater, 12-acre fishing
pond, tennis court, guest house, indoor and outdoor pools, a 10-car garage, and
of course, a “Hall of Fame Gallery.”

His $7.5 million penthouse in downtown Dallas measures 5,025 square feet
across two stories. Features include a private elevator leading to the roof
terrace, pool, bar area, outdoor fireplace and views of the skyline.

MULTIPLE RECORDS

Nineteen career return touchdowns: nine interceptions, six punts, three
kickoffs and one fumble.

Only player in NFL history to score a touchdown seven ways (regular and
postseason): kickoff return, punt return, interception return, fumble recovery,
receiving rushing and lateral.

Shares NFL postseason record with at least one interception in three straight
games.

In 1989 became the first player to hit a home run in the MLB and score a
touchdown in the NFL in the same week.

MULTIPLE CONTROVERSIES

When current Cowboy Dez Bryant was at Oklahoma State in 2009, he was
suspended by the NCAA for lying to investigators about meetings with Sanders.
They reportedly jogged at an athletic center in Frisco before having lunch, and
then Bryant and his girlfriend had dinner at Sanders’ home.

When questioned by the NCAA about the meeting, Bryant denied it. The one-year
suspension forced Bryant to miss the rest of the season. He entered the NFL
draft and was picked by the Cowboys.

In 1989, Sanders was one of five NFL rookies named in a suit by Los Angeles
attorney Ray Newman, who was trying to recover more than $114,000 he contended
he loaned the players while they were in college. The suit alleged that Sanders
owed $35,160. Contacted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Sanders declined to comment
with this comment: “I don’t want to defend myself. You can’t do a damn thing to
hurt me, man. This can’t do nothing to help me. After practice, I’m going to get
in the same [Mercedes] Benz, go to the same damn house and make the same
money.”

PRIME JEWELS

Favorite look: Around his neck Sanders wore two large gold chains with
diamond-studded 21s dangling at the bottom. Two gold-and-diamond bracelets were
wrapped around his right wrist, a diamond-studded Rolex watch and another
bracelet adorned the left wrist. Matching horseshoe earrings hung from his
lobes.

Sanders recently partnered with Texas Agriculture Commissioner
Todd Staples to help feed the hungry. The “Neon Deion” initiative encourages
Texas mayors to raise awareness of and increase participation in the Summer
Nutrition Programs. The federally funded programs, administered by the Texas
Department of Agriculture, provide free meals during the summer to children who
typically rely on meals served at school.

MULTIPLE RIDES

When Sanders arrived in Dallas, he owned about a dozen cars. He had a
$250,000 Lamborghini Diablo he treated himself to for the 1994 Super Bowl, a Mercury Cougar XR7 two-seater that cost six figures,
three Mercedes-Benzes, a Lincoln, a Suburban, a truck and the old Chrysler LeBaron he drove in college.

“He keeps that to remember when he was poor,” his mother, Connie Knight, told
The News. License plate on one of the cars Prime presented
to her: “Ms. Time.”

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